Science Response 2020/039

Threat Assessment for the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), Northwest Atlantic Subpopulation

Context

The Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) was listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in 2003 when the Act came into effect (SARA 2002). It was assessed as Endangered by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) in 1981 (Look 1981), and then again in 2012 when it was separated into two populations, Atlantic and Pacific (COSEWIC 2012). In 2017, the Leatherback Sea Turtle was re-listed under SARA as two populations (Atlantic and Pacific), both endangered. A recovery strategy for the Leatherback Sea Turtle in Atlantic Canada was published in 2007 (Atlantic Leatherback Turtle Recovery Team 2006). For species that are assessed as Extirpated, Endangered, or Threatened by COSEWIC, assessment and prioritization of threats to survival and recovery of the species are typically included in a Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA). An RPA was not completed for the Leatherback Sea Turtle, so certain elements are being addressed through separate CSAS (Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat) processes. This Threat Assessment, which follows the “Guidance on Assessing Threats, Ecological Risk and Ecological Impacts for Species at Risk” (DFO 2014), provides scientific advice to support recovery planning and implementation for the portion of the Northwest Atlantic subpopulation using Atlantic Canadian waters.

There are seven regional management units, or subpopulations, of Leatherback Sea Turtles: Northwest Atlantic (NWA) Ocean, Southeast Atlantic Ocean, Southwest Atlantic Ocean, Northeast Indian Ocean, Southwest Indian Ocean, East Pacific Ocean, and West Pacific Ocean (Wallace et al. 2010). For this Threat Assessment, the Northwest Atlantic subpopulation, which includes the portion of the subpopulation that uses Atlantic Canadian waters (herein referred to as the Northwest Atlantic population, and the Atlantic Canadian population, acknowledging that the latter is a portion of the Northwest Atlantic population) is assessed.

Threat risks are identified separately for Leatherback Sea Turtles in Atlantic Canada, while they are within the Canadian Economic Exclusive Zone, and for the broader Northwest Atlantic population. This allows comparison of threats faced by the Atlantic Canadian population relative to the entire Northwest Atlantic population and provides context for recovery in Atlantic Canada.

This Science Response Report results from the Science Response Process of January 7, 2020, on the Threat Assessment for Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), Northwest Atlantic Distinct Population Segment.

Science Response 2020/039 (PDF, 658 KB)

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